My eight year old son has alopecia areata, a condition causing many patches of baldness on his scalp. We have never been able to determine the cause, although we know it is medically based. I am always interested in learning more about hair loss because of my son’s condition, which is why I was pleased to learn there is an organization and website dedicated solely to promoting public awareness and educating the public about hair loss. The organization is called the American Hair Loss Association.
When my son was originally diagnosed we weren’t given much information, nor were we pointed towards any resources where we could find out own information. Had I known about the American Hair Loss Association’s website I would have been able to read up on the many aspects of hair loss all in one place from an expert on the subject. This website offers information on hair and how it is formed, the types of hair loss and treatments for hair loss, as well as a section on hair loss research. The founder of the Association has a weekly radio show called The Bald Truth, broadcast nationwide. Another great resource is the official blog of the American Hair Loss Association.
There are a lot of products out there that target people who are losing or have lost their hair. Most of these products don’t work and only end up wasting valuable money. We tried numerous different treatments on my son, none of which were successful. It would have been much easier if we’d known to look for the American Hair Loss Association seal.
Losing your hair isn’t easy, no matter what the age. We get asked ridiculous questions like “oh did he cut his own hair?”, “why is his hair cut like that?”, “did you run out of razor blades?” and my all time favorite “why would you let him have his picture taken like that?”. Many people don’t seem to understand that hair loss effects more than just a person’s head, it effects their emotional and mental well being. Hair loss is a sensitive issue and effects a person’s entire family.
I recommend everyone take a minute to visit the American Hair Loss Association website. After all, hair loss can effect anyone and you never know if the next person it effects might be a member of your family or even yourself.
